As used herein, the term “security document” refers to any type of document or token for which authenticity is important, and includes within its scope identification documents and tokens of value such as bank notes, cheques, traveller's cheques, credit cards, identity cards, passports, travel documents, tickets, and the like.
A wide variety of security devices for security documents have previously been proposed. Such security devices are provided in order to make falsification and counterfeiting of security documents difficult. Many of those considered effective require the use of equipment which detects and analyses the characteristics of a light beam reflected from the security document to verify the authenticity of the security document. Accordingly, only persons possessing the necessary verification equipment are able to verify the authenticity of the security document.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a security document which enables verification of the authenticity of the security document in a simple and convenient manner without verification equipment.